The Cole Harbour, N.S., native (same as Sidney Crosby), who left home to play prep school hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary’s (same as Sidney Crosby) before being chosen first overall in the Quebec League draft (same as Sidney Crosby), starts this season as the favorite to be the first pick in the NHL draft following a lockout (same as Sidney Crosby).

Even with a unanimous nod for MacKinnon, TSN’s scouts say that Seth Jones has a shot at being the top pick if a given team needs defense more than offense. All but one scout ranked Jones second overall.

If the two top prospects jockey for the first spot as expected, the real drama might begin at No. 3.

Either way, a lot can change between today and the 2013 draft.

While we wait, perhaps it’s time to come up with a “Fail for Nail” type slogan for the top picks. Let’s start off with “Not winnin’ for MacKinnon” and “Jonesing for Jones.”

Imagine what could happen if an African American player was drafted #1. That might cause a major influx of African Americans playing hockey as kids, much like Yao Ming and basketball in China. It would be huge for the sport.